Golf is good: Hit the links to get some exercise while having fun

Advertisements for treadmills often depict smiling people on the machines, walking off the pounds. In reality, there’s not much to smile about when on a treadmill.

Others opt to get outside and walk in their neighborhoods. Depending on where one lives, the scenery for those outings can be mundane at best. Likewise at gyms.

Too often, exercise just isn’t all that fun.

Consider using golf to get your heart pumping while experiencing the joy of competition in some of the most beautiful areas around.

Paul Eisenberg

Advertisements for treadmills often depict smiling people on the machines, walking off the pounds. In reality, there’s not much to smile about when on a treadmill.

Others opt to get outside and walk in their neighborhoods. Depending on where one lives, the scenery for those outings can be mundane at best. Likewise at gyms.

Too often, exercise just isn’t all that fun.

Consider using golf to get your heart pumping while experiencing the joy of competition in some of the most beautiful areas around.

Walk the course

Sure, it’s easier to ride down the fairways on a golf cart, but when you leave the cart at the clubhouse, your heart will thank you.

According to the American Heart Association, walking can give you more energy and relieve stress. Further studies indicate that a good brisk walk of an hour or more can add two hours to your life.

Walking for fewer than 30 minutes per day, the approximate equivalent to walking a 9-hole round of golf, can reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of osteoporosis as well as breast and colon cancer.

Get in the swing

Even the act of hitting a golf ball with a club can enhance your fitness level, according to the American Heart Association, because that activity combines two of the four elements of fitness: muscle strength and flexibility (the other two are muscle endurance and cardiovascular endurance).

The right balance

Done the right way, golf can be a great way to get a balanced workout.

According to David Donnatucci, director of fitness for the Professional Golf Association, writing on PGA.com, golf “depends on a balance between strength, power, stability, mobility, balance and flexibility.” Other forms of workouts can strengthen one muscle group at the expense of others, creating an imbalance.

A great starting point

Golf can be a gateway sport that can lead to even higher levels of physical activity and fitness. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, the health benefits of golf far outweigh any risks of injury associated with the sport.

Golf is classified as a “medium risk” activity, alongside other sports such as swimming, dancing and running. It carries less risk than “higher risk” sports such as bicycling, aerobics, skiing or baseball, and far less risk than “highest risk” sports like football, hockey, soccer and basketball.

Teamwork

While sometimes people like to take advantage of a quiet morning of golf by themselves, but the sport is played most often in groups of two or more.

That plays right into more Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines: “Team up with a friend, it will keep you motivated and be more fun,” and “Pick activities that you like to do.” Sure, you could ride a stationary bicycle at the gym, but that’s not nearly as fun as a round of golf with your buddies.

Following through

One of the clichés of exercise is “no pain, no gain.” Not so with golf, where the proverbial gain can be had without much pain.

According to the American Council on Exercise, the four largest factors that lead to someone giving up on an exercise program are injuries, boredom, time and results. Golf is not the cause of lots of significant injuries, and boredom is not an issue for enthusiasts, who always make time for a regular game of golf.

Good timing

Ask any golfer, and you’ll find that the sport can be habit forming. It’s a lot easier to establish a regular exercise regimen when it consists of a “game” and not a “workout.”

In addition, most golfers start their rounds in the morning, an ideal time for the sport and also an ideal time to exercise: Research has shown that morning exercise is more effective at burning calories because blood sugar is lower in the morning than after several meals.

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